50 Years Ago When South Suburbs Were Buried in Snow, WCGO Delivered the News: LISTEN

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL -- “Through the combined news facilities of WCGO and WTAS-FM,” this scrappy, 1,000-watt radio station in Chicago Heights served as a lifeline for listeners in southern Cook and Will Counties in the wake of a record-breaking blizzard that incapacitated Chicago and surrounding suburbs 50 years ago this week.

Approximately 45 fascination minutes of on-the-ground news reports exist from Jan. 27, 1967, the day after the Chicago region got socked by 23 inches of snow with no advance warning due to the limited weather technology of the day.

>>>> Fifty Years Later: Remembering Chicago's Big Snow Of 1967

The four audio clips posted on YouTube paired with historic photos of the storm feature news reports of bread shortages at Pearson’s Bakery and Dixie Dairy, which was assisting in the milk shortage. Sr. Georgette of St. James Hospital also urged volunteer RNs and nursing aids to come in and help with the staffing shortage due to the weather.

WCGO/WTAS broadcast from Jan. 27, 1967 -- Part I

The clips also include road conditions and encouraged all listeners to stay home and off the roads, plus stories of people banding together to assist their snowed in neighbors and strangers stranded in village halls, schools and bowling alleys.

The audio was originally recorded on a reel-to-reel by a Crete resident. The reel and recorder were later auctioned off when the resident had passed, according to “HeelerZ, who posted the clips on YouTube.

WCGO/WTAS was originally licensed as a radio station in 1959. The station was owned by Anthony Santucci of South Cook Broadcasting Inc.The station served listeners in southern Cook County, and most of eastern and central Will County, as well as northeast Indiana.

WCGO/WTAS broadcast from Jan. 27, 1967 -- Part II

The station broadcast at 1,000 watts during the day, and 23 watts at night. WCGO/WTAS featured a full news format of “local, regional, national and international news,” local talk programming and middle-of-the-road music, according to a station history.

Sadly, WCGO/WTAS went off the air in 2009, although the station appears to have resurfaced in a new conservative talk show format. The broadcasters who delivered critical information to south suburban communities temporarily cut off from the world by a mountain of snow in 1967, did a hell of a job.

WGCO/WTAS broadcast from Jan. 27, 1967 -- Part III

WGCO/WTAS broadcast from Jan. 27, 1967 -- Part IV